No trip to the island is complete without taking a walk on one of Mallorca’s beautiful beaches; the deep blue sea at your feet, the pure sea air in your lungs.
Yet selecting the right beach to visit here is tricky. The offer is wide and varied: on the 550 kilometres of Mallorca’s coastline there are 340 beaches, from small stone bays to long sandy beaches. From the lonely Calas, which must be hiked, to the tourist paradises with all the amenities nearby, there’s lots to choose from.
Here, we introduce you the best beaches in Mallorca, our personal recommendations, and reveal why our Mediterranean water has that deep blue colour – unique to this part of the world.
Cala, Playa or Bahia?
You will likely see these three words a lot in Mallorca during your search of the perfect beach. It makes sense to know how Playa, Cala and Bahia differ.
“Cala” literally means “bay”, and designates a small sea access with a sand or stone beach. The east coast of Mallorca is particularly renowned for its Calas and small bays, which are often surrounded by shady pine forests. On the west coast of Mallorca you will find many rocky Calas, some only accessible by dizzying hiking trails. But here you can also find – at least in the off season – the so often sought-after “lonely bay”. It should be noted that many of the small bays, which are only accessible by foot, are not monitored by lifeguards. They also have no infrastructure – neither restaurants nor umbrellas and sun loungers. All the same, the peace and quiet of these places can offer a lovely experience.
“Bahia” also gets translated as “bay”, but is how the Spanish refer to larger bays. Examples in Mallorca are like those of Palma, Alcudia and Pollensa – not beaches.
“Playa” or, in Catalan, “Platja” are long sandy beaches, and are the most tourist-friendly. You can find many of them in the north of Mallorca. In the south, the well-known sandy beach “Es Trenc” is the epitome of Caribbean-like dreamland. Es Trenc is of course under protection, with dunes that run into pine forest; there are hardly any buildings here, but some cool bars invite you for a sundowner (or two).
Why is the Mediterranean Sea around Mallorca so blue?
What is the use of the most beautiful beach if the water is not turquoise? The Mediterranean is simply not the Mediterranean without blue waters. And just in Mallorca, the many shades of blue are striking.
The water around the island of Mallorca is particularly clear and transparent, the bright sand contrasts to dark areas of sea grass and rocks. The crystal-clear water we owe to the Poseidon grass, also called green treasure, on the seabed. This grass is abundant in the sea off the Balearic Islands. The protected Neptune grasslands and algae filter the water, making them extremely important for the marine ecosystem of the sea.
“Posidonia oceanica” in Latin, this grass can be perceived by tourists as annoying when the dead brown remnants are flushed to the beach. Even yacht owners are often ruthless and anchor in the seagrass meadows. In order to prevent this, anchoring berths and buoys have been anchored to the seabed on many beaches and bays in Majorca, where boats can moor. This is because we need the seagrass with its photosynthesis to clean the water, and fish use the seagrass meadows as a retreat. In addition, seagrass plays an important role in the protection of the beaches: it slows down waves that wash away the sand. The discarded leaves, which are washed ashore, also counteract erosion. This happens, for example, during storms. They also feed crustaceans and shellfish.
While algae are found all over the world, the Mediterranean, and especially the Balearic Islands are the Eldorado of the Posidonia oceanica, as well as being 40 metres deep, when the water is clear enough for photosynthesis. Interestingly. Seagrass grows very slowly and can grow very old. At Formentera, seagrass that is around 100,000 years old has been discovered.
Mallorca: The best beaches
It is not easy to choose a beach as the most beautiful. Here are the opinions of tourists and locals apart. Mallorcans prefer to go to the beach with a cooler, a folding chair and with the big family in tow – they hardly need any infrastructure. However, tourists tend to appreciate the bars for sundowners, with sun bed rental and water sports & activities. The thing everyone can agree on is crystal clear water and sand…
The top ten beaches in Mallorca according to Trivago
In a recent survey by the travel portal Trivago.es, various beaches in Mallorca were voted among the ten most popular in Spain. In the top ten are the Platja de Muro in the north of Mallorca, followed by the beach of Cala Millor on the east coast. Colonia de Sant Jordi in the south and the Playa of Port d’Alcúdia in the north also made the list.
The best beach in Mallorca according Ryanair guests
Ryanair has named Caló des Moro beach in the southeast of Mallorca as one of the ten European beaches that can compete with Copcabana in Brazil in their recent blog “Into the Blue”. Irrefutably true is the statement: “You do not have to cross the equator to find dream beaches.” The small beach in Mallorca is only 40 meters wide, convincing visitors with fine sand, crystal clear water and excellent opportunities for diving and snorkelling. The long journey to this Playa is well worth the effort.
Our recommendations for the best beaches in Mallorca
The north-east can offer particularly natural bays and beaches. From the Cala Agulla in Cala Ratjada, a long sandy beach with infrastructure and pine forest, leads a shady and worthwhile trail to Cala Mesquida, which can also be reached by car. The Cala Mesquida is sparsely populated, high sand dunes reach to 1 kilometre into the country and the colour of the water is in no way inferior to the Caribbean.
The west coast is impressive, rough and wild. Only a few small bays can be found on the cliffs, but they are all the more romantic. Especially the Cala Deia is often used as a movie set. Easily accessible from Deia via a hiking trail or by car (parking is available), the bay offers some summer cottages, a rocky beach and a wild-romantic restaurant reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe. The restaurant is only open in summer. Also on the west coast are the bays of Estellencs and Port de Canonge worth a visit. Here, small fishing boats anchor in the deep blue water, a stone beach leads into the sea and simple but typical beach bars invite you to eat and have a drink.
In the north some of the best beaches in Mallorca are found, but also some small bays which are worth a swim stop. The Cala San Vincente is one of them; even the journey is extremely spectacular, because the view extends far beyond the north coast to the sea. Cala San Vicente is a traditional fishing village that made some concessions to tourism, but still retains its old charm.
And we have another insider tip for those who are looking for a “lonely bay”. The bay on the island of Dragonera, quite easy to reach from the Castell Son Claret. While you may never be truly alone there, it’s at least never crowded due to the location. Drive to Sant Elm, a romantic fishing village that has kept its charm. From Sant Elm there are connections several times a day (except in winter) with a small boat to the offshore island, which is under protection. On Dragonera there is practically nothing except 3 lighthouses, hiking trails, lizards, a small harbour and a lot of peace. Be sure to take a picnic with you!
Castell Son Claret wishes you a relaxed day by the beach!